Colorado University Athletics
Buffs' Thomas Embraces Role As LGBTQ Voice
May 06, 2016 | General, Track and Field, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Jaron Thomas doesn't see himself in a role of “changing the world.”
But Thomas, a standout hurdler for the Colorado track team, does see himself as perhaps helping establish a foundation for the future. That, in Thomas' mind, is a start.
“If I can be that voice for that little boy or girl out there who is going to be a Buff in 2030, if I can stand up for them so that when they get here they don't have to start from scratch — that's what I'm doing,” Thomas said after a recent practice. “I'm willing to be that voice and accept the consequences.”
Thomas, a CU junior, is one of the first openly gay male athletes ever on Colorado's campus, and one of only a handful in the nation. He serves on a variety of diversity and inclusivity committees and councils at CU, speaks to student and faculty groups about the obstacles faced by the LBGTQ community, and is active in a number of other social justice programs at CU and in the Boulder community.
He also, according to CU associate athletic director for student services Kris Livingston, is a young man who is willing to “put himself out there to say this is who I am and it does matter.”
“He's a forerunner,” Livingston said. “He's truly out in front of this. He's encouraging dialogue. If we can have that dialogue, if we can educate people, then we can change the world. We can change perception. We can change how people think, how people see others. He might not say so, but he absolutely is changing the world.”
Thomas says he's not the first openly gay male athlete at CU. He says there have been others; albeit none who have been quite so willing to put themselves in the public eye.
“I think my actions in the community and my roles in leadership are putting me out there a little more than some of the others,” Thomas said. “That's probably the biggest difference.”
Thomas was recently named the winner of CU's Tito Torres award, given to “a student at CU who exemplifies the spirit of Tito Torres, a CU student who impacted many through his commitment to and work toward social justice.”
There is no question that Thomas is the first Buffs athlete to win the award.
“I was really surprised to have won,” Thomas said. “I know so many people that work incredibly hard in the Boulder community for LGBT, women's rights, feminism — so many different social justice causes. There are a lot of people who deserve an award like that. They could have given it to a lot of people.”
But of all the people who are involved in such causes in Boulder, Thomas is the only elite-level Division I athlete. He has a platform that guarantees his voice will be heard — but it is also a platform that makes him much more of a target for negative reaction.
“Whenever it's an athlete, because of societal norms and expectations, it's shocking to hear there's a gay athlete involved in the gay community,” Thomas said. “It's almost unheard of … it's definitely not status quo, so you know the reaction you're going to get.”
Thomas is accustomed to the reaction. Since arriving as a freshman from Midlothian, Texas, in 2013, he has been open about his sexuality. It's produced a roller-coaster of responses.
“I was in the closet most of my high school career,” Thomas said. “I came out toward the end of my high school career, and I definitely had some struggles. It made me see that people's true colors come out whenever the truth comes out.
“So when I came here, I decided I wanted to see people's true colors from the get-go so I could know where I stood. I put myself out there and was honest from the beginning. The term 'coming out' is actually more of a 'letting in' process, and I wanted to let my teammates into my life and who I was — so I was honest with them. I let myself be vulnerable in that way, and I hoped that they'd do the same.”
The reaction, Thomas said, has been for the most part exactly what he expected: both positive and negative.
“I've definitely had both good and bad experiences,” Thomas said, “but neither one has really surprised me. You learn in life, in any area, that you are going to get mixed reactions.”
He's heard people refer to him as a member of the “women's track team.” He's had athletes who found themselves in the same social setting later tell friends, “Oh yeah, I was there with Jaron but I'm not like that.”
Those are the reactions Thomas wants to change.
“I get that they don't want people to think we were 'together,'” Thomas said, “but it's upsetting to see how offended people are with simply being associated with queer culture. I think I'm a good person, but they evidently think differently because I'm gay. People are offended if they're called gay or queer, and I don't get offended. I don't know why they'd be offended.”
But he's also had teammates support him and offer encouragement in his community activities. He knows it is an educational process, an evolution that won't happen overnight.
Medford Moorer is a former CU football player (2000-2003) who now serves as an assistant director of academics in the CU Athletic Department. Moorer also chairs the department's Committee for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.
“The landscape has definitely changed,” Moorer said. “More attention has been given nationally to LGBTQ situations and equal rights. When I was in school, it wasn't even a thought. It was one of those things where people stayed in the closet and they didn't know if they had a safe space. I think we're still in that transition period, and that's where people like Jaron are making such a difference. His passion for finding a way to engage individuals and dialogue about the LGBTQ community, and help folks understand that they are people like everyone else on this campus, has been amazing. I believe he honestly sees it as an opportunity.”
The entire CU campus has been aggressive in promoting diversity and “inclusive excellence” through a variety of programs. The athletic department has taken a leadership role in that effort, hosting a variety of seminars, training sessions and other activities to educate staff and student-athletes. Thomas has spoken at several of the events, including a Safe Zone training session that was attended by a number of administrators, staffers and coaches from virtually every sport.
Thomas admits such experiences are nerve-wracking at times.
“He doesn't shy away from challenges,” said Corey Edwards, an athletic department academic coordinator. “He takes whatever comes his way head-on and he won't stop until he conquers it. He's that way with his classes, his track — everything in his life.
“He knows not everyone is accepting of the way he chooses to be open. He knows there will be some negative reaction. But he's not afraid of that challenge. He's going to win at whatever he does.”
People in the department who know Thomas often use the words “courageous” and “brave” in their discussions about his activities. Thomas, though, discounts those descriptions.
“I wouldn't see my lack of fear as courage,” Thomas said. “I think they are different things. I value being honest with people, and I think it's important for me to do what I can to help my community. At the end of the day, I'm part of the athletic community, I'm part of the male community, I'm part of the black community — and if I can make all those things better, I'm going to try to do it.”
As part of the athletic community, Thomas is having a solid season on the track. He missed the indoor season because of an injury, and despite a slow start to the outdoor season, is now in the top 50 in the nation in the 400 hurdles and top 65 in the 110 hurdles. He'll enter next week's Pac-12 championships ranked fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 110, and he is currently in the top three in CU's all-time performer list in both events.
“Going into the championships, my times are right where I want them,” Thomas said. “I'm ready to roll.”
With one more year of eligibility, Thomas has time to continue to add his name to CU's record books. He also has time to continue to leave his mark as an agent of change — a mark that might not have specific records, but one that could also have a longer-lasting and more far-reaching effect.
“You always consider the consequences when you put yourself out there in any respect,” Thomas said. “As for the possibility of inviting negative reactions — I have tough skin. I know a lot of other people don't, who aren't comfortable sticking their necks out. They need someone to be that voice for them. If I can stand up for those people, if I can be their voice — or the voice for people in the future — then that's my contribution.”
Changing the world? Thomas doesn't see his life and activity in that regard. He's not a big-picture person who sees his life from that prism.
But he does have one vision of the future he'd someday like to see come to fruition.
“I hope there's a day when this isn't a story, when a reporter doesn't feel like it's a story to come talk to someone like me about this,” Thomas said. “I think that would be great, to get to the point that it doesn't matter. It will be great when they come talk to someone like me about my races, about my times … and that's it.
“That's what would be nice to see.”
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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